Screams from the shadows
by purpledramagirl17
Summary: While working on a case with Nancy in River Heights, the gang meets a young girl in danger and try to help her out. But there's a problem-she's deaf and therefore can't speak. Can they figure things out before it's too late? Rated T for mature stuff, some swearing and violence. F/N and B/J romance and fluff. Hope you like it! Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1-Nothing

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 1

Doomed

**A/N: Hey! So I got this idea to do a story like this and I wasn't sure whether or not to do it but with the help of my friends, I found the motivation to do so. It was pretty tough from coming up with a title to the story line and everything else, I'm amazed it didn't take me any longer than it did to get this first chapter written. First thing you need to know about this story is that this is based off the 70s TV show and so if it confuses you a bit, I apologize. But it's also got some things that are based from the books as well but it's mainly the show. As far as the style of it goes, it's a pretty dark story and probably a bit darker than my other ones. Now for who plays Nancy, it's gonna be Janet Louise Johnson and if you don't like her, picture her as the other actress but I'm not changing who plays her. There will be an OC here but I'll let you guys read to find out about her. Lastly for the ages, Frank is 22, Joe is 21, Nancy is 21, George is 21, Bess is 20 and Vivia is 16. Enjoy!**

Twenty two year old Frank Hardy looked out the window as his brother Joe who was now twenty one, drove down the highway in a dark grey, semi-small rental car. He was completely engrossed in his thoughts when Joe's voice came to his ears and brought him back to reality. "Frank, are you zoning out or are you just bored?"

Frank shrugged. "Neither. How far is River Heights?"

Joe blew out a breath as he looked at the clock on his cell-phone. "About another thirty minutes. Maybe less," The two brothers were on their way to River Heights for a reason; they were going to be seeing Nancy Drew after nearly nine months. But it wasn't just an occasional visit. When Frank last talked to Nancy, he was told about some strange things going on in River Heights; things were being stolen and dead bodies of citizens kept popping up every few days. To his obvious relief, Nancy hadn't been a victim to either one. "What did Nancy say about the case just out of curiosity?"

"Not a lot. She explained that things were getting stolen along with some pretty brutal murders happening," Frank said.

"Those are always fun," Joe responded in sarcasm.

Frank nodded in agreement as he raised his eyebrows. "But she's having a tough time getting any leads,"

Getting bored, Joe decided to get under his brother's skin a bit with another topic. "So, any thoughts on seeing Nancy after so long?"

"Joe, I'm not even gonna go into this conversation right now. We're going to River Heights to work on a case with her and that's _it_," Frank retorted bluntly.

"Is that why I heard you rehearsing your greetings to her last night in the bathroom?" Joe questioned with a smirk.

Frank sent him a glare which he didn't seem effected by in the least. He hated it when Joe did this but Frank couldn't deny that part of what he was saying was true. "Alright. I'll admit it. The idea of seeing Nancy after so long and especially since what's happened _does _make me a bit nervous," He paused for a minute; wondering if Joe was going to come back with some cocky remark and then went on. "But don't tell me that if _you_ were about to see a girl after so long, you wouldn't be nervous too."

Joe didn't respond until he saw a sign about four feet away from them. "There it is," He pointed to the green road sign which read, _Welcome to River Heights _with an arrow pointing to the exit.

* * *

Nancy Drew looked at herself in the mirror. Despite the whole situation with Adam Grey, Nancy felt like her life was actually going in a good direction for once. She was still going to community college but had decided to take some time off; not just because of her detective work but also for her sister since their dad was beginning to work more often. Unfortunately, there were things like murder and theft going on in River Heights; so she chose to take every precaution she could in order to keep her dad and sister safe. Vivia still was annoyed at the fact Nancy wouldn't allow her on any investigations. The thing that frustrated her most was the lack of evidence in the case because she was normally able to figure things out very easily when it came to a case. Then her phone rang again. Sighing, Nancy got up from her bed and picked it up "Hello?"

"Nancy, it's Frank," Frank said in a friendly tone.

Nancy's heart fluttered a bit at the sound of his voice. "Hi, Frank. How's the drive going?"

"It's going good," Frank responded. "Joe hasn't gotten pulled over by a cop or put our lives in danger."

Nancy heard Joe speak up in the background. "I'm still here, you know, Frank,"

"So we're thinking we'll be there in about ten to fifteen minutes. Anything new we should know about the case?" Frank explained.

Nancy frowned as she shook her head slowly. "No. I don't have a lot to go off for evidence. That's why I'm hoping maybe there are some files in my dad's office that could help us out,"

Frank spoke up again, trying to be both logical and positive at the same time. "Well as long as we have a bit of evidence that can help us get a head start, then I think we'll be okay. But let's talk about this once we get there,"

"Alright. I'll you soon," Nancy agreed reluctantly and put the phone back onto the receiver.

"Next time we go traveling, I think _I'll _drive and _you _can be in the passenger's seat," Frank fumed. Joe had only gone a few miles over the speed limit but Frank thought otherwise and now he was driving even though there were barely ten minutes left in the drive.

"If you wanna drive, go ahead. Just don't go under the speed limit like you always do," Joe retorted with a grin. Frank gave him an annoyed look before putting his focus back on the road. Five minutes later, he could see Nancy's house up ahead. As he pulled into her driveway, he felt his heart beating rapidly and if he wasn't mistaken, his head was spinning.

Frank walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell before waiting patiently for someone to answer. No longer than a minute after, the door opened to reveal sixteen year old Vivia Drew standing there. She didn't look significantly different from when he last saw her but she was slightly taller and her hair was longer as semi dark brown curls flowed freely over her shoulders. She was dressed in light blue washed jeans and a lavender t-shirt. "Frank!" The young brunette went up to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "It's great to see you."

"You too. Wow, you've gotten a bit taller since I last saw you," Frank remarked as he looked her over.

Vivia gave a roll of her eyes. "There's Joe,"

Joe waved as he made his way up to her. "Vivia, it's good to see you kiddo," He enveloped her in a tight embrace before releasing her. "Where's your sister?"

"In there," Vivia replied as she stepped aside to let the two brothers walk in. She raised her voice to call for her sister. "Hey, Nancy! Frank and Joe are here!"

Nancy came down the stairs dressed in casual outfit which were navy blue jeans and a mint green long sleeve shirt with her golden, blonde hair down as it swayed when she moved. It was a casual outfit; but she still looked beautiful despite that. When she and Frank locked eyes, it was like everything was put in slow motion. "Frank. Hi," She approached him and they embraced each other tightly. Just then, coming in from the kitchen were Bess and George.

"Hey," George waved a hand in the air. Frank and Nancy quickly pulled apart at the voice. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

"If it isn't Bess Marvin and George Fayne," Joe said with a smile.

Bess's face lit up when she saw Joe. "Oh my god! Joe!" She charged toward him and hugged him tightly.

Joe laughed a bit and he patted her on the back. "Did you miss us?"

"Yes I missed you!" Bess exclaimed as if it was the stupidest question she'd ever heard.

George shook her head. "Bess, don't choke him," Bess managed to pull away from Joe to let George hug him as well.

"Okay. Now that we're here, let's focus on the case," Frank decided.

Nancy nodded in agreement. "Like I told you guys, there's been a fairly large amount of murders and theft here in River Heights. It started over a week ago and knowing that I could probably figure it out, my dad put me on the case to see what I could do about it,"

"From what Nancy's dad has said, the things being stolen are mainly stuff like jewelry, electronics and such; things that are worth a lot of money," George added. "But we don't know _specifically _what it is."

"What about the murders?" Joe chimed in as he sat down.

"So far only three people have been murdered. Someone was killed a couple days ago and they just found them today but the other two who were killed a week ago are still missing and they don't even know the genders or the names," Nancy told them. She pursed her lips as she shook her head sadly. "I just don't know how this keeps happening."

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry," Frank assured her gently and put a hand on her shoulder. But even he wasn't too sure about this with she was telling him.

* * *

It got dark rather quickly that night and while most people were safe in their own homes, some were the opposite of safe. _Especially_ if they were in a dark alley; along with being held down by three or more people with guns, knives and such. That was the position this girl was in. She didn't know what these people wanted with her or from her but they were after her for some reason.

"Now I'll give you one more chance, girly. You let us have what we want and things will turn out fine," A guy with a gun only inches from her head said gravely. She could see fury in his eyes and could feel her heart beating at an abnormal pace.

Another guy grabbed her by the throat and whispered in her ear. "Are you gonna talk or not?" When she didn't respond he threw a hard punch at her face causing her to immediately hold her cheek in agonizing pain as she fell to the ground. "Get up!" He kicked her in the stomach right before the third guy yanked her off the ground and got out a pocket knife. The girl shook her head furiously in fear as tears welled up in her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, she started to run but a hand grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall down.

"You're gonna die, you little brat," One of them growled as he held the knife above her with a grim, psychotic expression.

**Yup big cliffhanger for you guys. I know this chapter wasn't great and you didn't see much of our new character but you'll get to know more about her and everything else in the next chapter. But if there are any questions about anything, just PM me or ask in the review cuz I'll happily answer. Also, if you have any ideas for further chapters or even OCs, do let me know because I LOVE getting ideas and feedback. Reviews make me happy and so if you'd do that along with following, I'd be so so happy. The next chapter will be up soon. Laters!=)**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	2. Chapter 2-Helpless

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 2

Helpless

**A/N: Okie doke, so here is the second chapter and I can promise that you'll not only get to learn more about our new character but get a bunch of suspense and action as well. Now I'm not gonna say anything more because then I'd be spoiling the chapter which I don't wanna do and so I'll just shut up and let you read it. Enjoy!**

Her eyes were wide in fear as she stared at the sharp blade that was about to cut into her flesh. Not knowing what to do, she kicked the man in the gut but it wasn't enough to repel his reflexes and he grabbed her ankle right before slicing the side of her temple with the tip of the knife as dark red blood streamed out. He then held her up against one of the hard brick walls in the alley and stared her down. "You're not going anywhere," Once they had her cornered, they just began kicking her, punching her and tried to stab her. She didn't know what to do. Finally not being able to think of any other way to save herself, she threw a punch at one of them causing them to fall backwards and made a run for it. She didn't know where she was headed; but she figured anywhere away from them was safe.

"She's getting away!" One of them exclaimed as the one she'd punched tried to sit himself up.

"Obviously you _idiots_!" The man yelled with a cough as he wiped some blood from his nose. He looked between the two of them and groaned in annoyance. "Well, don't just stand there! Let's go!" The other two nodded as they all sprinted down the alley.

"What did Nancy say we're supposed to pick up?" Vivia asked as she and Bess drove through the dark streets of nighttime.

"A file of some sort that her dad said could help us," Bess clarified with a shrug. All of a sudden in the blink of an eye, someone who in the short speck of time they got a good look at them looked like a female came running out in front of them. Luckily Bess was quick to hit the brakes on the car but before they could even get out of the car to talk to them, they bolted away in a different direction. "What the hell?"

Vivia looked at the street, then back at Bess with a bewildered expression. "Who was that?"

Bess sighed deeply as she shook her head. "I don't know but she looked sort of freaked out,"

The girl in the meantime was still running and feeling terrified yet hoped she'd gotten away. Then she heard footsteps coming behind her which was when she picked up in speed, fearing that they would find her again.

"I think I saw her run that way!" A deep male voice shouted.

Vivia's eyes widened as she looked up to see three men off in the distance charging down the sidewalk and they appeared to be going in the same direction as the girl that she and Bess had just seen. "Bess, we have to go! I just saw three guys and I think they're chasing after that girl we saw!" Without even thinking, Vivia quickly unbuckled her seatbelt before opening the car door. "Come on!" Bess followed her out of the car and they started going where the girl had gone.

"Which way did she go?" Bess asked in utter confusion.

"She probably went somewhere down that way. After you stopped the car, we saw her run off to the left," Vivia said as she tried to think of where the girl could've run off to.

"Well considering she's being chased or _might _be, I'm guessing she might've gone to find a place to hide," Bess pointed out. They stopped in their tracks when they heard noise coming from an alley just a couple feet ahead of them. Bess tilted her head slightly as her and Vivia exchanged glances. "Hello?"

Vivia looked around them. "Let's go see what it was. It might've been her," She started making her way down towards the alley. As they cautiously walked down the alley, they could tell something was up. Then as they went around a rusty looking, blue dumpster, sitting curled up against one of the brick walls trembling in fear was the girl they saw earlier.

"A-are you okay?" Vivia asked worriedly. She and Bess crouched down in front of her, careful not to frighten her too much. But they were shocked by her appearance; she had very long, stick straight, light goldish colored blonde hair that was not only messy but in a few strands also appeared to have what _looked _like dried red blood in it. Her which eyes were a deep mocha brown, were also puffy, watery, and bloodshot along with being wide in fear and panic while her lightly tanned skin was bruised, beaten, and had a few spots of dirt as well as a cut on the side of her temple. She was dressed in a sky blue sweatshirt along with jeans but her clothes seemed to be covered in dirt as well.

Bess swallowed hard. The appearance of the young girl broke her heart and she didn't look any younger than Vivia. "Can you tell us what's going on? We won't hurt you. We just-"They heard the same of voices of those men again from off in the distance. Bess, Vivia, and the girl stayed behind the dumpster as they waited quietly in hopes the men wouldn't find them.

"Where could she possibly be?" One of the voices hollered in frustration. "I don't know. We've looked everywhere we can!"

"Keep looking!" A hoarse male voice demanded harshly. "We need to find her NOW! Let's go!"

"Why were those guys chasing you?" Vivia questioned as she looked over her shoulder as she stood up while Bess helped the girl to her feet. The girl didn't respond; she just stood there shaking as she stared at them. "Are you going to be okay?" She blinked a few times right before fainting and collapsing to ground in unconsciousness. "Oh my god,"

Bess knelt down and shook the girl lightly but then sighed as she looked up at Vivia. "She's still alive but we gotta get her out of here," Vivia nodded in agreement as they rushed back to the while Bess carried the girl.

"What do we do?" Vivia asked as they drove down the road.

"Um….I think we should call Nancy and tell her what's going on," Bess responded as she pulled out her cell-phone and dialed Nancy's number.

Nancy walked over to answer the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Nancy, its Bess," Bess spoke on the other line.

"Bess, is everything okay?" Nancy questioned in concern as she put a hand on her hip.

Bess bit her lower lip and sighed before speaking. "Not really. Viv and I found this girl in an alley and, well she looks pretty banged up. She wouldn't talk to us or anything," She shook her head sadly. "I-I think she was in shock or something. Either that or something is wrong with her."

Nancy listened intently. "Alright. Where are you guys now?"

"We're just driving back to your place. She fainted not long after we found her and I think she's in need of some help," Bess said. "Nanc, could you call the guys and see if they'll come over to help us? We need all the help we can get."

"Sure. I'll see you when you get back here," Nancy replied with a nod of her head.

"Sounds good," Bess clarified as she hung up.

After about twenty minutes, Nancy heard the sound of the front door opening and saw Vivia and Bess walk in with a young blonde girl who was unconscious. "I called the guys and they're on their way," Nancy told them. Bess set the girl on the sofa and put a pillow beneath her head.

George walked up slowly as she looked down at the beaten girl in disbelief. "Holy crap. What _happened_ to this girl?"

"We have no idea," Vivia said as she folded her arms across her chest. Then there was a knock on the door and Nancy went to answer it again; Frank and Joe were standing there.

"Nancy, is everything-"Frank started to ask but Nancy raised a finger to her lips, shushing him.

"Come on in on guys," Nancy said quietly as she motioned for them to come in. Frank and Joe walked in and when they saw the girl on the couch, they were shocked by her appearance.

"She looks pretty banged up," Joe remarked, keeping his voice at a low volume.

Frank's eyes widened a bit as he nodded. "No kidding. Who is she anyways?" The others just shrugged cluelessly.

"I don't know but she looks like she's about fifteen or sixteen. We found her in an alley; she was huddled up against a wall shaking uncontrollably and she wouldn't talk to us. I think some guys were chasing after for whatever reason," Bess explained.

Joe started to speak. "Yeah but-"

Vivia held a hand up, interrupting him. "I think she's starting to wake up," The girl stirred a bit as she slowly began to wake up. Her vision was a bit blurry but once she opened her eyes to see the others staring at her, she nearly jumped off the couch and backed up against it a little bit, looking around frantically with a look of fear and confusion on her face. Vivia took a seat beside her. "It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you." The girl looked at Vivia, then at the others. "Oh, right. You don't know any of us. That's my older sister Nancy and that's Bess. My name is Vivia. That's George, Frank, and Joe.

"Could you tell us your name?" Nancy asked gently. The girl shook her head while pointing to her mouth.

George's eyes widened slightly. "You can't speak?" The girl nodded in confirmation.

"I think she's deaf," Bess said with heartbreak in her voice as she looked down.

Nancy looked at Bess, then back at the girl. "Is that it? Are you….deaf?" Nodding sadly, the girl put her head down.

"Okay. Then why don't you write down your name for us?" Vivia suggested and handed the girl a piece of notebook pater along with a pencil. The girl took it and wrote something down before showing it to the others. _"Cassandra." _It read.

Frank spoke up. "Alright then, Cassandra. Do you think you could tell us exactly what happened?"

"First, how can you tell what we are saying?" George interrupted.

_"I can read your lips." _Cassandra wrote down.

"Okay. Well can you explain what happened?" Joe questioned.

Cassandra jotted something else down and showed it to them. _"I can't,"_

Nancy arched an eyebrow. "Why?" Cassandra bit down on her lower lip, looking like she was tearing up.

"Don't cry," Bess cooed as she put a hand on her shoulder. "How about you go and get cleaned up first? Then we can talk about it. Is that okay?"

Cassandra looked hesitant at first but then nodded while Nancy turned to the others. "Why don't one of you guys take her upstairs so she can freshen up?"

"Okay. Come on, Cassandra," Vivia said as she and Bess led Cassandra up the stairs.

"I'll make her something to eat," George offered, venturing off into the kitchen.

Vivia opened the bathroom door, allowing Cassandra to walk in. "This is the bathroom. I know it's not much but it's better than nothing," Cassandra checked herself over as she looked in the mirror but turned around at the sound of a shower turning on. "You can go ahead and shower if you want."

"We'll be out here if you need us, okay?" Bess assured her as they walked out, leaving Cassandra to have some privacy. Once they were out in the hall, Bess looked at Vivia. "I can't believe what happened to her. She must've been pretty badly hurt to have that severe of injuries."

Vivia nodded. "Yeah well what I'd like to know is what exactly did that to her; or who. For all we know it could've been a person who did this to her,"

Just then, there was the sound of a phone ringing and both girls turned around.

**I realize that this chapter didn't have a lot of romance but that was only because I wanted to focus more on Cassandra in this chapter. Although, I promise there'll be more romance in the next one along with...well you just need to wait to find out. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Toodaloo!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	3. Chapter 3-Safe or not

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 3

Safe or not

**A/N: The third chapter is here at last. Sorry if it took a while but I just wanted to make sure it was good. Also I got some questions about how Cassandra can understand what the others are saying if she's deaf and the answer is that she can read lips. I've researched it and it's a known fact that deaf people are able to read lips despite not being able to hear. This chapter is going to be very much to your liking, not as much romance as I was hoping for but it's still really good. Okay enough of me babbling. Enjoy!**

Bess looked at the phone, then at Vivia and walked over to answer it. Reluctantly, she picked it up. "Hello?" As she listened closely, there was no sound on the other line except for breathing; very heavy breathing was all she could hear. "Is anyone there?"

The breathing continued until there was the sound of a bell of some sort and then with a hard slam, there was nobody there. "Who was it?" Vivia questioned as Bess hung up the phone.

"I don't know," Bess said with a shrug as she turned to Vivia. "There was really heavy breathing and then some kind of bells. Then they just hung up."

Vivia pursed her lips. "That's weird,"

"Guys?" Joe said suddenly as he walked up the stairs. "Who was on the phone just now?"

Bess shrugged again. "There wasn't really anyone there. All I could hear was heavy breathy and….some kind of bells,"

Joe sighed, deciding to blow it off. "Alright. Bess, could I talk to you for a second?" Bess nodded. "Do you guys _really _think that Cassandra is deaf?"

Vivia made a puzzled expression at him. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, maybe she's hiding something that she doesn't want us to know," Joe suggested.

"_Or_…..maybe she's just scared because she barely knows us," Bess reminded us.

"Look, Joe, we don't know what's going on with this girl either but we can't just start jumping to conclusions. We need to help Cassandra out so we can figure out just what is going on with her," Vivia told him sternly.

Joe reluctantly nodded in agreement. "You guys are right. She needs help and that's what matters. When she's done in there, bring her downstairs because Frank and I wanna talk to her to see what we can find out," With that, he walked back down the stairs.

When they heard the water turn off, Bess and Vivia went to the door. "Cassandra?" Vivia called out. She opened the door to reveal Cassandra pulling on a green robe. "It looks like you're done showering. I'll go get you some fresh clothes."

Bess turned to Cassandra as Vivia exited the room. "Do you mind if I take a look at some of your injuries?" Cassandra shook her head as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal bruises, some cuts, and even a black and blue mark or two on her arm. Bess gaped at the sight as she carefully took her arm in her hand. "Cassandra, what happened to you?" The young blonde looked down tentatively and Bess sighed. "Okay. Let's take care of these first and then you can tell us more."

Nancy, Frank, and Joe in the meantime sat in the living room as they waited patiently. After a few minutes, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Bess along with Vivia walking behind Cassandra who was dressed in a cotton, light pink long sleeved shirt along with dark teal blue skinny jeans with a caramel brown belt. "I was able to patch up most of her injuries or at least the minor ones anyway," Bess told them.

Nancy stepped forward. "Cassandra, you must be hungry. Do you something to eat?" Cassandra nodded her head as she followed Nancy into the kitchen.

"Hey, what about me?" Joe whined as Cassandra sat down and began eating a chicken sandwich that George had made her.

Vivia shot him a glare as she laughed. "You ate already. _She's _the one who needs food right now,"

"Cassandra, I know we just met but my brother and I wanted to ask you some questions. Is that okay?" Frank explained as him and Joe sat down at the table. Chewing her food slowly, Cassandra nodded. "How old are you?"

Grabbing a notebook, Cassandra wrote something down quickly. "_I'm sixteen," _It read as she held it up for them to see.

Joe looked up from the notebook. "Okay you're sixteen? Where are you from?"

"_I live here in River Heights. But my family and I came here when I was very little for a specific reason which I know nothing about," _Cassandra jotted down.

Bess spoke up. "Wait a minute. Cassandra, after Vivia and I saw you run off, three guys were chasing you. Can you tell us anything about that?"

Cassandra didn't respond as her face paled. "Cassandra? Were the guys Bess and Vivia told us about the ones who did that to you?" Joe questioned as he stood up from his seat. Her lower lip quivered with tears forming in her brown eyes as she clapped her hand over her mouth and her shoulders shook.

George smiled sympathetically as she took a seat beside the young blonde. "Oh, Cassandra," She gently placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed her arm comfortingly. The poor girl had obviously been very upset and frightened up by whatever it was those men had done to her before Vivia and Bess found her.

"Please don't cry, Cassandra," Vivia said softly as she handed her a tissue. "Everything is gonna be fine, okay?" Cassandra nodded as she wiped her eyes with the tissue.

Frank and Joe stood up, knowing that Cassandra was too upset to continue. "We'll be back tomorrow," Frank told them and looked at Cassandra. "But for now, I think the best thing for Cassandra is to let her rest."

"I don't think she has any other choice but to stay here unless she has someone she can contact," Nancy said with a sigh. "Cassandra, do you have anyone you can contact that you can stay with?" Cassandra shook her head.

Vivia smiled as she put her hand on her shoulder. "You can stay with us then. You can sleep upstairs in one of the bedrooms and we'll do our best to get in touch with someone for you. Does that sound like a plan?" Cassandra looked at Vivia, then at the others before nodding her head in agreement.

"Good. You can sleep in Vivia's room with her and we'll get out a few blankets and pillows for you. Viv, why don't you take her up there right now?" Nancy responded before turning to the guys. "I think we should start looking more into Cassandra's background. See what we can find out about her and what those guys want from her."

"Where should we start though?" Joe asked.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. We're all tired and besides, we need to head back to the hotel anyways," Frank insisted as he put on his coat. "Good night." Nancy sighed as she watched them leave. This mystery was definitely going to be a challenge.

* * *

"I'm gonna ask you one more time, Mr. Warren. Where is it?" Greg demanded harshly as he stared Marcus Warren down like a wolf would do its prey. Greg Samuels was _not _the type who enjoyed waiting for what he wanted and he'd do anything he felt necessary to do in order to get it.

Mr. Warren was out of breath but he just barely managed to speak. "I don't know….what you're talking about," He let out a few coughs as Greg folded his arms across his chest.

Greg walked over to Mike and Ian. They were two guys who worked for him; Ian was a slim but fit guy with brown hair and Mike was a muscular non-Caucasian from Beverly Hills. They basically took care of certain things for him and they were also the ones who he controlled. Mike was a headstrong guy and just like Greg, he didn't take well to not getting the things he wanted. Ian on the other hand was more logical and didn't always agree one hundred percent on what Greg chose to do; but there wasn't a whole lot he could do since Greg was pretty much his boss. "I can't believe he's not telling us anything,"

"Greg, _maybe _he really doesn't know anything at all," Ian suggested.

Mike interrupted them. "Wait, what about the girl? We still don't know where she got to; let alone where she is,"

Greg smirked. "Well, we're gonna figure it out because she can't hide forever,"

* * *

Meanwhile the next day, the others had taken Cassandra to the hospital in hopes they'd be able to learn more about her. They waited out in the hallway while she was with the doctor in another room. "How was she this morning?" Frank questioned.

Nancy shrugged. "About the same. She still wouldn't tell us anything else though,"

"It was weird the way she acted this morning. I was about to go to the bathroom to get ready and then all of a sudden, she didn't want me to leave her alone in the bedroom. But when I asked if she wanted me to stay there, she shook her head," Vivia explained. "It's almost like she's debating whether she should trust us or not."

"Well given the fact with what those guys did to her and anything else she's been through, it's not surprising if she isn't sure to trust us just yet," George said.

Just then the sound of a door opening came to their ears and the doctor appeared. "Okay I've taken a look at Cassandra and it seems that she may have at least one or two broken ribs but she should be able to recover within time," He said. "Also I did a blood test and her full name is Cassandra Jane Warren. Jane is her middle name, Warren is her last name."

"Can we go in?" Joe asked.

The doctor nodded as he stepped aside to reveal Cassandra lying on a hospital bed. She sat up slightly, looking almost nervous. "I also know that she's deaf and it's lucky that you found her because if you hadn't, she may not have made it. The wounds and cuts she suffered gave her a lot of blood loss but it wasn't enough to do any significant damage."

Nancy stepped forward. "What else can you tell us, Doctor Marshall? There has to be something more about Cassandra that we're missing and we need as much information as we can get,"

"All I can tell you is what I know based on her health and physical injuries," Doctor Marshall replied as he shook his head firmly.

Bess pursed her lips. "But do you know anyone who we can go to that might have some answers for us?"

Doctor Marshall set his clipboard down. "As a matter of fact, I do. His name is Alexander Wilkes. He's a psychiatrist and he's dealt with many patients like Cassandra. I can't guarantee that he'll have all the answers you're looking for but I strongly suggest you go talk to him because he may be able to help,"

"Can you give us his address?" Nancy insisted.

"Of course," Doctor Marshall said as he wrote it down on a piece of paper.

"This should help a lot. Thank you, Doctor Marshall," George said.

Doctor Marshall sighed as a frown appeared on his face. "But there's something else you should know about Cassandra,"

**Yeah I know not the best cliffhanger but I had to add something and I'll try to add more romance in the next chapter. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Toodaloo!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	4. Chapter 4-Warnings

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 4

Warnings

**A/N: Oh-my-GOD! I am so so so so so so so so so so so SO sorry about the massive delay on this chapter. Not only were things kinda busy with it being my birthday and all, but I got a REALLY bad case of writer's block which made it extremely difficult to write this. But I can tell you that since it took me that long, this chapter is very good in detail and I threw in a bit of fluff just to be fun. Enjoy!**

"Cassandra _also _happens to have something called a speech impediment. It's a type of speech disorder," Doctor Marshall said.

"Does it come with being deaf?" Joe questioned.

"It can but sometimes a speech impediment is a separate disorder from being deaf," Doctor Marshall told him.

Bess turned her gaze over to Cassandra. "How long have you been deaf, Cassandra?"

Cassandra motioned for them to come over as she began writing something down on a notebook. _"Since I was born. But my parents didn't realize something was actually wrong with me until I was three years old. It was the holidays and they had brought me somewhere to see Santa Claus. He asked me what I wanted for Christmas but when I tried to say something, nothing would come out of my mouth. They brought me to a doctor and that was when it was confirmed that I was deaf," _Nancy read out loud.

"It must've been really hard to go through that," Vivia sighed.

Cassandra only nodded before beginning to write something else down. _"It was. Luckily, I've been able to communicate with people through writing and sign language. I mainly do writing though because I've never been able to learn it,"_

Doctor Marshall spoke up once more. "I'd like to keep Cassandra here just a little bit longer to run a few more tests,"

"Okay. Can you excuse us for a minute?" Nancy asked.

"Yes. Take your time," Doctor Marshall assured her.

Nancy stepped out into the hall with Joe and Bess. "Listen guys, there's already a lot going on and I can't deal with it all at the same time. So I need you to do me a favor,"

"Anything you need, Nancy," Joe said with a nod.

"Frank, George, and I will stay with Cassandra. But I want you guys to go talk to that one guy to see what you can find out from him," Nancy explained.

"Do you want us to take Vivia to school before we do that?" Bess interrupted.

Nancy thought for a minute as she looked at Vivia who was in the room with the others. "Yeah I think you should. I don't want her involved in this anyways,"

"Nancy, it's not that I don't get where you're coming from but….she's sixteen," Joe said, trying his best not to offend Nancy.

"Yes, Joe and she is _also _too young to be getting into these things. I've already got enough to worry about. Therefore, I don't wanna worry about my little sister being involved in something this dangerous. I want you to take her to school. That's final," Nancy snapped, her blue eyes glaring at him. Joe sighed reluctantly as Nancy walked back into the room.

* * *

Joe looked at Bess who was sitting next to him in the passenger's seat and spoke up. "I can't believe what the doctor told us about Cassandra," His voice was quiet but clear.

"Me neither," Bess agreed quietly as she rubbed her arms and sighed sadly. "It must be so terrible to go through something like that. To not only to be deaf but also not be able to speak _at all_? I don't know how I'd be able to live like that."

"Well, she's been through it her whole life and even though she's probably adapted to it by now, I'm sure it is tough for her," Joe responded with a nod. He started to slow down a bit when they came across a large but somewhat narrow, cream colored building. There was a sign that read _Naomi Clinic and Care Center_.

Bess made a puzzled face. "This is the place?"

Joe blew out a breath as he gave a shrug of his shoulders and parked the car. "It's what the directions that Doctor Marshall gave us say. But there's one way to find out," Unbuckling his seatbelt, Joe looked at Bess who seemed somewhat hesitant to go inside. "Come on, Bess. It's nothing to be worried about."

"Says _who_?" The blonde demanded.

"Me," Joe replied casually before rolling his eyes. "Now let's go." Bess moaned unhappily as she followed Joe out of the car and they made their way to the entrance. As they entered the building, they noticed a lot of people sitting in the waiting room. From what Joe could guess, they seemed to either be people waiting to see someone who was already there or had some type of medical thing they needed to deal with.

"May I help you?" A soft feminine voice asked suddenly making Bess and Joe turn around. A woman with light auburn hair which was pulled back into a ponytail was standing behind them. She looked like she was either in her late thirties or early forties judging by her facial features and was more than likely a secretary or nurse who worked at the clinic.

"Um, yeah actually you can," Joe said with a brief but friendly smile. "We're looking for a Doctor Wilkes. Would it be possible for us to see him?"

The woman pursed her lips as she thought for a minute before answering him. "Well, I need to check and see if he's available first. You two just sit down while I call his office,"

Bess and Joe sat down in two chairs as they waited patiently. Joe couldn't but notice how Bess was acting as they sat there; she was fidgeting with her hands and her teal blue eyes were widened as she looked around the room. Reaching for one of her hands which she was playing around with, he spoke up. "Hey, Bess," The blonde looked at him expectantly when he spoke. "What's the problem?"

"I'm okay, Joe. I just don't like this place is all," Bess replied quietly.

Joe squeezed her hand reassuringly and gave her a small smile. "Don't let it bother you, okay? I'm here to make sure nothing bad happens and so you don't need to worry," Bess blushed as she smiled at this comment.

Just then, the same woman who'd spoken to them earlier came over to them. "Mr. Wilkes would be glad to see you," She told them with a smile. Bess and Joe stood up at this. "I'll show you the way."

"Thanks," Joe said as they walked down the hall. Once they arrived at a certain door that read Wilkes, the woman knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a tall man with a semi bald head and glasses along with a suit he was wearing.

"Hello, there," The man greeted. His face didn't show much expression but his tone was simple and sort of friendly.

"You're Alexander Wilkes?" Joe guessed.

The man nodded. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"We'd like to talk to you about something important, Mr. Wilkes," Bess told him.

"Please come in," Mr. Wilkes insisted as the woman went away. He stepped aside to let Joe and Bess step into the office before shutting the door. "If you don't mind my asking, who are you two?"

"Oh, I'm Joe Hardy and this is Bess Marvin," Joe said, feeling slightly idiotic that he'd forgotten to introduce himself and Bess beforehand.

"Hi, there," Bess greeted with a cheery tone.

"We came to see you because we've recently come across a young girl and she seems to be in trouble. Her name is Cassandra," Joe stated. He paused as he waited for Mr. Wilkes to process the name in hopes he'd know who he was talking about. "Cassandra Jane Warren. Do you know of her by any chance?"

Mr. Wilkes sighed. "Actually I do,"

"How?" Bess questioned as she tilted her head in curiosity as she and Joe sat down.

"I met her when she was eleven years old which was when she and her parents came here to River Heights. They came to me in hopes that I'd be able to help Cassandra with her speech and hearing disadvantages," Mr. Wilkes explained. "I was very surprised by her though. Despite that she couldn't hear or speak, Cassandra had very thorough communication skills. It almost seemed that she was….. gifted."

"So you're saying she's got power or something like that?" Joe verified.

Mr. Wilkes shook his head. "Not power but some kind of ability. She can feel when bad things are about to happen before anyone else can,"

* * *

Vivia was waiting at her school for someone to pick her up. Normally it was Nancy who came to her but sometimes she'd just call up Bess or George to get her instead. In this case, Nancy was at the hospital with Frank and Cassandra. The hospital was too far away from her school for Nancy or Frank to get there within a reasonable amount of time, so Vivia had just asked George to pick her up instead. But she could tell something wasn't right; George normally didn't take long to get there and yet for some reason, she was taking a while. Dialing her cell phone number, Vivia waited patiently but only got her voicemail. _"Hey, you've reached George's cell phone. I'm sorry I couldn't get to the phone right now but leave me a message and I'll get back to you. Bye!" _

Sighing in frustration, Vivia spoke. "George, its Vivia. I don't know where you are but its five past three o'clock and you're still not here. Please hurry up," Hanging up, Vivia started walking out of the school figuring that if George didn't get there soon, her only other option was to get home on foot. Sure it was a pain but it still beat sitting at the school for however much longer until George showed up. As she was walking, someone grabbed her from behind and whispered in her ear.

"Where's the girl?" A deep raspy voice growled into her ear.

**Let's all pray that Vivia will be okay. Sorry about the cliffhanger but I had to add something and I'll try to add more romance in the next chapter. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Bye everybody!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	5. Chapter 5-A close call

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 5

Wrecked

**A/N: Okay I know I've been taking very long to update lately and I am so so SOOO sorry. I've been trying hard to get better at it but it's easier said than done. FYI though, I normally try to update before it gets to 10 days which is my deadline for late chapter updates. So this chapter doesn't really have Frank or Joe *sniff* but that's only cuz it's kinda short. Anywho, enjoy!**

Vivia followed her best instinct and threw a punch at the guy. Just because she was only a slim teenage girl, didn't mean she wasn't more than capable of defending herself when she had to do so. "You little bitch!" He yelled as Vivia bolted down the street faster than she'd ever run in her life. _"Why the hell do people always come after me of all people?!" _Vivia thought in anger as she excelled in speed and turned a corner on the street; but she wasn't fast enough because before she could do anything else, the guy knocked her down onto the street on her stomach.

"Get off me you freak!" Vivia shrieked as he held down with his hand cupped firmly and tightly around her neck.

Casually ignoring her attempts to fight him off, he pulled Vivia's head close to his mouth right before whispering into her ear. "Where is she? _Where _is Cassandra Warren?"

Vivia's jaw dropped in shock. _"Cassandra," _That was the only thing that came to her mind after he asked her that last part. She knew she couldn't tell him anything; she had to protect Cassandra from whoever this person was because at the moment, she along with the others were all Cassandra had. "I have no intentions whatsoever of telling you where she is or _anything _else," The next thing she knew, a fist collided with her face and then the cold metal blade of a knife touched the skin of her throat. Squeezing her eyes shut which were now shedding tears, Vivia braced herself for the unimaginable pain that was about to come but at the exact same time was screaming in her head for somebody to hurry the hell up and help her.

"Vivia?!" A familiar voice shouted making Vivia snap her eyes open to see George running towards her. "Vivia!"

The man stood up and pointed the knife at George with a menacing expression. "Don't take another step closer sweetheart,"

"Or else what?" George challenged, almost as if she were expecting an actual answer or explanation.

"Or else, I'll kill both of you," He replied.

George simply punched him in the jaw, henceforth knocking him out onto the ground. She pulled Vivia up off the ground, ready to take off. "Viv, come on. We gotta get out of here!" Vivia didn't hesitate for a second and ran off with George.

"How did you find me?" Vivia asked.

"I saw you running earlier but I couldn't drive fast enough to catch up to you," George said.

Vivia sighed. "Did you see anything else?"

"I saw a navy blue car and it looked they had been following me," George told her.

"Who?" Vivia pressed on.

George frowned. "I'm still trying to figure it out. Let's talk about it when we get back. I'm sure your sister is freaking out by now,"

* * *

"What do you mean they got away?!" Greg nearly roared.

Ian sighed not knowing how else to word what he and Mike had just told him. "We don't know exactly,"

"Some brown haired girl came and knocked him out before he could do anything from what we could see," Mike added.

"Do you have _any_ idea at all where they were headed?" Greg asked.

Ian shook his head. "No, they got away too fast,"

"Okay then we need to find out," Greg stated a-matter-of-factly. Ian and Mike looked at each other, and then back at Greg. "Now."

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Ian asked.

"Find out all you can about these people and anything else," Greg replied as if it should've been the simplest thing in the world.

* * *

After George had gotten back with Vivia and told Nancy what had happened, Nancy felt a need to talk with her sister about what had happened. She was a bit angry with her despite that she was perfectly fine. "Bess, George, could you take Cassandra upstairs for just a minute? I wanna talk to Vivia alone," Nancy said softly. Vivia was sitting on the couch while Cassandra was next to her and Frank and Joe were on their way over.

"Sure thing," George responded as she and Bess lead Cassandra up the steps. The two cousins were almost positive as to why Nancy had asked them to do so but George didn't see the point in arguing since Nancy more than likely wouldn't be in the mood to hear it at the moment.

Once the three of them were out of earshot or at least Nancy was hoping. Nancy stood up from her seat and paced a bit while Vivia remained silent. "I'm okay, Nancy. You don't need to worry,"

"That isn't what this is about," Nancy said bluntly.

"Okay,"

Nancy slapped a hand to her forehead. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Vivia rolled her eyes. "What do you mean what was I thinking? The guy came after me and I ran. Maybe it wouldn't've happened if George had gotten there sooner,"

"Don't blame this on George!" Nancy barked sternly.

"I'm not. I'm just saying," Vivia said.

"She saved your life, Vivia and if it weren't for her, you would've gotten killed. If _anything_, you should be thanking her. But the bottom line is that you made a really stupid choice that jeopardized your life. You're lucky you didn't get hurt any worse than you did."

"You act like I'm so incapable of taking care of myself and I'm sixteen but you treat me like I'm eight! Like I'm a little kid!" Vivia retorted.

Nancy huffed out a breath of air. "I'm not treating like a little kid. I'm trying to take care of and protect you because you're my sister,"

Vivia chewed on her lip and spoke once more. "But you got into this kind of crap all the time when you were my age and you still do. You've always said that it's a part of what being a detective is. That it's bound to happen with what you do," She continued speaking. "So how is now different from all the times it was you?"

Nancy started to reply when a knock on the door came. She sighed as she walked over and opened it to see her father standing in the doorway before her. Her brows knitted together in confusion. "Dad?"

"Nancy, you said you had something to tell me?" Carson said, hoping she'd remember talking to him earlier.

"Yeah come on in," Nancy replied as she stepped aside to allow him to come inside. "Viv, could you go get….you know?" Vivia nodded knowing what her sister was referring to as she walked up the stairs. Feeling the need to speak, Nancy decided to break the silence. "I know I've probably been keeping you waiting but I couldn't tell you over the phone,"

Carson nodded in understanding. "You didn't mention much. Is it bad?"

"No of course not. It's an odd situation but nothing bad or at least I don't think it is,"

Carson tilted his head. "_Think_?"

"Well, actually-"Nancy began.

She was cut off when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Carson looked up to see Vivia walking down the stairs with a young girl with long flowing blonde hair and wore a grey long sleeved sweater. She had a somewhat tentative expression as she looked at Carson who seemed rather shocked by her presence.

"Who's this?" Carson questioned as he eyed the young girl.

**Sorry about the cliffhanger but I had to add something and I'll try to add more romance in the next chapter. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Bye everybody!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality**


	6. Chapter 6-Danger everywhere

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 6

Danger everywhere

**A/N: Chapter 6 is here. Sorry for the massive delay; writers block is not fun. Enjoy the chapter!**

"You told him about Cassandra?" Frank exclaimed later on that night.

"I didn't get a say in it. He asked me point blank to tell him," Nancy said with a sigh.

Frank curled his lips back as he looked away from her briefly. He gave her a solemn look as he spoke. "I hope you didn't give away the fact that a bunch of psychopaths are after not only her but possibly _us_ too,"

Nancy shook her head firmly. "No I left that part out. He got to know what he wanted to know. He doesn't need to know anymore,"

"Listen I think we should see if there's anything we can link to the murders along with Cassandra being in danger. Whatever those guys want, it's obviously got something to do with her," Frank told her.

"Yeah but what?" Nancy pressed on cluelessly.

Frank thought for a minute. "Maybe she knows something they don't want her to and that could be why they're after her. Think of something they might be trying to cover up?"

As she processed the words, Nancy gasped in realization as her blue eyes went wide and then she quietly said, "The murders," Frank nodded in clarification. "But we can't know that for sure."

"One way to find out," Frank said casually.

Nancy sighed. As important as this case was, she didn't want to any more pressure on Cassandra there already was on her. "I don't know, Frank. She's been through more than enough already and what if she doesn't tell us anything,"

Frank answered her as if it were the simplest reply there could be. "We won't know until we give it a try,"

"I guess not," Nancy admitted reluctantly.

* * *

"No! No please, _please_ don't! I'm begging you! Please!"

Ian looked at the young brunette girl who was lying on the ground in the warehouse screaming in horror right before he leaned towards Mike. "We don't have to do this,"

Mike sent him a death glare as he held the gun firmly in his hand. "Yes we do, Ian and you know damn well why," The girl continued screaming as if she thought it would save her in some way.

"No actually I don't know why but either way I'm sure the reason for killing this girl is completely worthless," Ian retorted, his teeth clenched together.

"Ian! I'm telling you for the last time that this _needs _to be done!" Mike yelled. His voice lowered as his eyes landed on the girl. "She knows too much about what we've done."

"PLEASE!" The girl shrieked one last time with pools of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Ian mumbled, his voice tainted with guilt and after that, the gun fired one brief shot that came and went within a quarter of a second. The screaming was gone; as was the innocent life of the young girl that they had killed with nearly no remorse and Ian shook his head as he looked down at her body which was surrounded by a pool of blood.

"It's done," Mike announced as he stood about three feet behind Ian and the girl's corpse.

Vivia walked down the stairs with Bess and George the next morning to see Nancy standing in the living room, her eyes glued to the TV screen and her arms folded across her chest. "Morning, Nanc," The young brunette made her way over to her sister when she didn't reply to her. "What's wrong?"

"Look at this," Nancy said calmly as she turned up the volume on the TV with the remote in her hand.

"What is it?" Bess asked.

Nancy set the remote down onto the coffee table. "Just listen,"

"The dead body of nineteen year old Ashley Harris was found this morning," The news woman on the TV explained. Vivia's eyes widened slightly when she heard this as the woman continued. "It appears that she was shot and police are currently searching for the killer. In other news-"Nancy shut off the TV abruptly as she sat down on the couch along with Vivia.

"Oh my god," George breathed as she looked down at the floor.

"Another one?" Vivia whispered, barely audible.

Nancy nodded slowly as she heaved a deep sigh. "We'd better call the guys. Viv, go check on Cassandra for me,"

George sighed once Vivia was out of earshot. "Any idea on what might've happened?"

"No but I can say one thing is for sure, if we don't find this guy soon, it's gonna be bad," Nancy said solemnly.

* * *

Meanwhile driving down a highway, Mike was driving while Ian stayed silent, sending him the occasional glare. "You make me sick," Ian growled. "I thought Greg was the sickest person I met until I saw you murder that girl last night without a hint of remorse."

Mike suddenly jumped back at him with an unexpected response. "Do you think I _wanted _to do it, Ian? Because if that's what you think, then you are gravely mistaken. I didn't want to kill her but I had no choice,"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Ian barked. "You had a choice and yet you chose against your good judgment just because you thought Greg had some kind of control over you."

"What's done is done. I don't like it any more than you do but there's nothing to do about it now," Mike told him.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Joe asked that night.

"Positive. The reports match the exact description of the girl whose body they found," Nancy clarified.

Frank looked up from the piece of paper. "She's right. But the question is why did the body just….magically turn up? One minute it seems like they wanna keep everybody from knowing where she is and the next thing we know, the authorities find her corpse just lying around plain as day,"

"Maybe they're trying to trick us," Vivia guessed.

George looked at Cassandra. "Cassandra, do you know anything about the murders?"

Cassandra reluctantly nodded her head to their surprise. "Okay good. What can you tell us?"

Cassandra wrote something down on a piece of paper and gave it to Joe. _"I only know the name of one of the men who were chasing me and I think he along with the others played a part in one if not all of the murders," _

"Is that it?" Nancy asked.

Biting her lip, Cassandra wrote, _"I wish I could tell you more to help you but that's really all I can remember,"_

"Its okay, Cassandra," Bess reassured her.

"Maybe we could go back to that alley where we found Cassandra. We might be able to find some stuff that could help us," Vivia suggested.

"Bess, George and I could go check it out," Joe volunteered.

Frank shrugged. "That would be good,"

"We'll be back later on," Joe said as he stood.

"Call us if you find anything," Nancy reminded them.

"Do you ever get tired of constantly getting dragged into this shit?" Bess smirked as she and Joe walked down the alley along with George.

"Sometimes but it's better than nothing," Joe admitted sarcastically.

George snorted. "Yeah because nothing says fun like getting kidnapped by a lunatic in a ski mask with a gun,"

"Who says lunatics wear ski masks?" Bess asked. Joe chuckled as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Okay. You two can flirt all you want later," George said with a playful roll of her eyes as she pulled Bess off in a different direction. "I don't know what you see in him."

Bess laughed. "Joe is sweet,"

"You mean in a boyfriend or pal kind of way?" George teased.

"That's my line," Bess said elbowing her gently. As they walked down the alley, Bess saw something lying on the ground off in the surface. "What's that?"

George started walking forward. "Let's find out," As they approached it, they realized it was a girl with long brown hair in a lavender shirt. "Hello? Are you okay?" She turned the girl on her back to see her eyes wide open and Bess let out a blood curdling scream.

**Sorry about the cliffhanger but I had to add something. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Bye everybody!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	7. Chapter 7-Fear itself

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 7

Answers

**A/N: Sorry about the delay guys but I writers block got to me again and I was CRAZY busy over the weekend along with not feeling very good. But the chapter is here now. Soooo enjoy!**

"You mean you just found her lying there?" A police officer verified in suspicion as he talked to Bess and George. Bess was almost having a panic attack while George was just downright confused about what had just occurred.

George suppressed a deep sigh; she was growing impatient with him. "Like we just told you, all we know is that when we got here she was turned on her stomach on the ground; not moving or breathing at all. But when we turned her over, we saw a bullet wound in her chest,"

He nodded slowly. "Do you recall anything else? Was there any identification as to who she was on her? Anything like that?"

"Not that we could notice," Bess responded quietly.

"Alright then. You ladies have a good night and be safe. This is the fourth person we've found; the last thing we need is more danger," He told them firmly. "So be careful."

"We will. Thanks," George said as the officer walked away. She heaved a deep sigh just as Joe was walking over to them.

Bess turned to look at him. "Well?"

"They said there's nothing we can do right now but they want us to go down to the station tomorrow for further questioning," Joe replied/

"Great," George drawled sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

Joe snorted. "I'm more worried about how pissed off Frank is gonna be about this," He sighed tiredly he put an arm around Bess. "But anyway, we should really get back there though. It's late and we're gonna need our sleep _especially_ with what's going on."

Bess shuddered at the thought of what it would be like to try and sleep after tonight's events but at the same time, she didn't care too much since she was so exhausted.

* * *

"Is it done?" Greg questioned meanwhile that night.

"Yeah it's done. The body is gone and we have nothing to worry about," Mike confirmed.

Greg gave a small smile. "Good,"

"How is _anything _good?" Ian scoffed. "We have kidnapped, violated and killed _five _people. FIVE PEOPLE! Innocent people who had lives and did NOTHING to deserve what we did to them and you see that as a _good_ thing?!"

"You'd better watch what you say, Ian," Greg warned gravely with wide eyes staring him down. "I'm the only reason you and Mike have made it and if you don't like what we're doing, then that's just too fucking bad. Get over it." Greg turned his back to him.

"Well what about the blonde girl? Cassandra Warren," Ian reminded him. "I don't think she deserves it either."

Ian wasn't going to listen to Greg this time; he didn't care what either one of them said. What they were doing was wrong and he wasn't about to let it go on any longer. He was going to help the girl who originally was to be their prime target so that she could be safe once more.

* * *

"Frank, this really isn't necessary," Nancy said softly, trying her best not to sound like a small child complaining.

Frank sighed as he repeated himself to Nancy. "Yes it is. Your dad wants us to keep you safe and I'm not gonna break that promise to him, Nancy,"

"Look, I appreciate your concern but-"Nancy started to argue only to be cut off.

"Nancy! Listen to me!" Frank snapped. His tone wasn't loud or rude; just very persistent and serious. "There's some….psycho out there who has intentions of harming others and my brother along with two of your best things just discovered a dead body. It isn't safe."

Nancy placed her hands on her hips. "I can take care of myself,"

I realize that you can take care of yourself but it's not just you who needs protection. It's Vivia, George, Bess, Cassandra….everyone. We're staying here for tonight; end of story," Frank said sternly.

"Okay fine," Nancy said reluctantly. Even though she didn't see a point in him staying there, she was exhausted and didn't feel like arguing with him. "I'll go set up the guest room for you."

"That's fine. We can just sleep down here," Frank assured her.

"Are you sure?" Nancy questioned.

"Absolutely, Nanc. Don't trouble yourself," Frank said with a small smile.

Nancy nodded. "I'll get you guys some blankets and pillows. But feel free to go sleep there tonight if you want," She exited the living room with that sentence said.

Frank and Joe looked at each right before Frank spoke up. "I get the couch,"

"Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?" Joe whined incredulously with a glare.

"There's a recliner right there, Joe," Frank pointed out simply.

Joe looked over at the dull blue colored recliner chair. "Oh wonderful,"

"This isn't about you or me. This is about keeping everyone else safe and I care too much about Nancy and her sister especially to let anything bad happen. If you don't wanna help, you can go back to the hotel but I'm staying here," Frank deadpanned.

Joe groaned but knew his brother was right to some degree in what he was saying. "I guess you're right. But you'd better not wake me up in the middle of the night for no good reason,"

Frank smirked. "No promises,"

That night, they had taken turns keeping watch; Frank went first and then after about an hour, he started getting tired but didn't want to sleep in the event something might happen and so he asked Joe to do it for a while. Now he was stuck sleeping on the couch in the living room while Frank had a nice cozy bed upstairs yet he managed to fall asleep fairly easily.

His slumber was disturbed a couple hours later by a hand shaking his shoulder. "Joe? You awake?" A small, slightly timid but clear voice asked gently. Joe flickered his eyes open to see Bess standing near him in her purple tank top and blue polka dot pajama pants along with her blonde hair pulled into a semi loose ponytail.

Ignoring the blonde's question, Joe rubbed his eyes in attempt to get rid of the sleepiness in them. "Bess, what are you doing down here? It's almost eleven o'clock,"

"I-I-"Bess stammered, blushing a bit. He could sense the anxiousness in her tone as she spoke.

"Bess, what's wrong?" Joe questioned softly.

Bess sighed. "I keep hearing noises. They've been going on for nearly an hour now and they won't stop,"

Joe smirked, now knowing what the issue was. "You can stay down here if you really want,"

"Thanks, Joe," Bess said with a grateful smile as she sat down beside him on the couch.

"Wanna watch some really bad, cheesy love movie?" Joe suggested. Bess shrugged before giving a nod of her head.

The next morning, Vivia walked down the steps with Cassandra to see Joe and Bess on the couch fast asleep. Bess was curled up against Joe's side while Joe's head was leaning against the top of her blonde head; the two teenage girls didn't know what to think. Vivia couldn't help but smile at the sight while Cassandra looked a bit confused and looked to the brunette beside her.

"Watch this," Vivia whispered in a low enough tone so she wouldn't wake Bess or Joe. She walked behind the couch and took in a monumental, long deep breath. "JOE HARDY!" Joe jumped awake and he nearly fell off the couch but was quick to grip the couch for support before it could happen while Bess screamed briefly in shock.

"Vivia? Cassandra?" Joe exclaimed.

"Morning, guys," Vivia greeted in a chipper tone. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Other than the fact you nearly made me fall off the couch? Then yeah I slept fine," Joe said sarcastically as he sat upward.

"So how did Frank react to the news about the body?" Vivia asked, changing the subject.

Joe shrugged. "He was a bit freaked out but not mad. They want us to go down to the station today for more questioning and Bess thinks we should take Cassandra with us,"

Vivia nodded in agreement. "I think so too. Maybe they know something about her and they could help us out,"

"Can we eat first before we start talking mysteries? I'm hungry," Bess whined.

"I second that," Joe agreed.

Suddenly, the phone rang and Bess walked over to answer it. "Hello?"

"My name is Ian and I know about the girl you're hiding," A voice said solemnly.

**Sorry about the cliffhanger but I had to add something. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Bye everybody!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	8. Chapter 8-Answers

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 8

Answers

**A/N: Chapter 8 is here and it didn't take me that long to finish. Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy!**

"Who is this?" Bess questioned in a low tone.

"My name is Ian Jones. I know about the girl you guys found a few days ago. Cassandra Warren, right?" Ian explained.

Bess moved her mouth a few times before speaking. "How do you know about Cassandra?"

There was a sigh on the other line. "The man I work for is after her for reasons I don't know. But I swear I don't wanna hurt her," Before Bess could get another word out, he added, "Listen, I can't explain right now but if you could meet me later on today, I _promise _to tell you everything."

Bess looked at the phone in confusion almost frozen stiff when a hand on her shoulder made her jump. "Hey, Bess, you okay? Who was it?" Joe said with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

Sighing, Bess started to explain and once she was done, Joe was practically speechless; but once he was over his shock, he spoke. "What else did he say?"

"Nothing. He just said he wants me to meet him later on today so that he can explain everything," Bess replied.

Joe shook his head disapprovingly. "There's no way you're going. I'm not letting you,"

"Now you sound like Frank with Nancy," Bess remarked with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't think it's safe for you to go meet some stranger alone," Joe retorted.

"Then you can go with me,"

"Bess…."

"If this guy can help us, then I don't think we should turn it down _especially _when he's offering us important information," Bess told him solemnly. Joe sighed as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Well if we're gonna do anything, we need to tell the others first," Joe said.

"You're right," Bess agreed. "Let's go wake Nancy and tell her."

"Tell me what?" A voice from behind said making Bess and Joe turn around in surprise to see Nancy standing in the kitchen doorway with a look of curiosity and confusion. The two of them exchanged glances.

"Well….some guy just called saying he knows about Cassandra," Bess said sheepishly.

"What? How does he-"Nancy began to ask once more.

Bess shrugged. "He says he works for the guy who's after her. He didn't really say much else other than that he wants me to meet him later on today,"

Nancy's eyes darted back and forth at Joe and Bess. "Well, do you plan on actually going?"

"We haven't decided yet. We figured that it'd be better if we talked to you first," Joe explained.

"I think we should," Bess protested only to have Nancy and Joe look at her in confusion. "He said he could help us and that he didn't have any intentions of hurting Cassandra at all. In fact he probably only went after her because his so called '_boss'_ ordered him to."

"Before we think about doing anything, I'd like to do some looking around at where you guys found that body a couple nights ago," Nancy said.

"What for?" Joe asked.

"Evidence. Anything I could find there could be a huge help," Nancy told him.

Bess spoke up. "Should we tell Frank what you're planning on doing?"

Nancy pursed her lips. "No. There's no way he'll let me go," She sighed as she thought for a moment. "Just don't tell him, okay? Please."

Joe heaved a sigh. "Fine we won't,"

"Where's Vivia?" Nancy questioned.

"Right here," Vivia's voice said casually as she gave a wave of her hand. "Don't worry. I won't say anything either."

Cassandra wrote something down in her notebook and nudged Vivia on the shoulder. Vivia took the notebook in her hands as she read what Cassandra had written down. _"I know who Bess is talking about. He's helped me before. I know he doesn't mean me any harm,"_

Vivia gave the blonde a skeptical look. "Cassandra, are you sure?" Cassandra nodded furiously.

"If Cassandra is saying she knows him, do you think we should go meet him?" Bess asked. She figured that if Cassandra knew him it would probably be okay for them to take his word on that he meant her no harm whatsoever.

Joe walked over to Cassandra and spoke carefully. "Do you think he'd be able to help us?"

Cassandra wrote something else down and held it up for Joe to see. _"Yes. He might know what happened to my dad,"_

"Wait, what about your dad?" Joe questioned.

Biting her lip, Cassandra reluctantly wrote something else down and handed it to Vivia. _"My dad has been missing for a while and I know for a fact that the guy Ian works for has him,"_

* * *

Marcus Warren sat on his small, worn out and tattered mattress; his body ached all over from not just his injuries but also emotionally. He missed his daughter Cassandra terribly. Who knew what kind of danger she was in; knowing that Greg was after her as well, Marcus could only hope that she was alright and it especially worried him since she was deaf which could very well make her vulnerable.

His thoughts were broken when the sound of the door opening reached his ears and he saw Ian enter into the dim lit atmosphere. "How are you doing, Marcus?"

"How do you _think _I'm doing?" Marcus retorted. "I'm stuck here in a dingy shed and my baby girl is possibly in danger."

Ian turned his back for a moment as he thought. "Okay, Marcus. Listen to me very carefully," He groaned, knowing there would be consequences for what he was about to do. "I really shouldn't be telling you this but I might have a way to help you so that you can get out of here and find your daughter."

Marcus looked at him with a skeptical expression. "Are you playing a game with me?"

"I swear to you. I'm telling the truth but you need to trust me so that we can make this work," Ian said in a serious tone.

"If I agree to whatever it is you want me to do, then you have to promise me you'll help me get my daughter back," Marcus reminded him. Ian nodded firmly. "What do we do first?"

* * *

Later on that night, Nancy carefully walked down the stairs and to her relief, nobody was down there; she put a piece of paper onto the counter. With a few quiet steps, she picked up her coat off the hanger right before rushing out the front door and then closed it behind her as she walked down the driveway and got into her car to begin driving down the street.

"What do you wanna do?" Bess asked as she and Joe made their way down the steps.

Joe looked up at the ceiling and thought for a second. "We could watch a movie. First I'm gonna make something to eat," He wandered into the kitchen with purpose in mind. "Where does Nanc keep the snacks?"

Bess shrugged. "I don't know. I don't live here,"

"Hey," Joe said in slight surprise as something on the kitchen counter caught his eye.

"Find any snacks?" Bess guessed hopefully.

"No but I did find this note," Joe responded.

Bess went into the kitchen to join him and watched as he unfolded it carefully. "What does it say?"

"_I went to do some investigating like I said earlier. I should be back in an hour or so at the most. Don't tell Frank where I went. You know how he can be. See you later on! - Nancy." _Joe read out loud. He lowered the piece of paper with a somewhat mortified expression. "Frank is _not _gonna be happy about this."

"About what?" Frank asked from behind.

Just as one of the two were about to reply, the phone rang and Frank went to answer it. "Hello?"

"Is this the Drew house?" A voice asked.

"Depends on who's calling," Frank replied.

"You're Nancy's boyfriend I'm guessing?" The voice guessed.

Frank's face turned slightly red. "Sort of. What do you want?"

"There's been an accident with Nancy,"

**Sorry about the cliffhanger but I had to add something. If you have any questions about the story or Cassandra let me know and also tell me how you liked her since she's a new character and all. Ideas for the story or OCs are welcome. Just PM them to me or say them in the review. PMing is probably better just because you can tell me more about your idea. The next chappie is coming soon! Bye everybody!=D**

**Also here are things I need to know if you have an idea for an OC:**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Personality:**


	9. Chapter 9-Bad

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 9

Close

**A/N: Uggghhh! I am so freakin sorry about the enormous delay. Stupid writer's block. Anywho, this chapter is kinda short but it's still good. Enjoy!**

Frank took a minute to make sure this wasn't some horrible dream. "What do you mean accident? Is Nancy okay? How did it happen?"

"It looks she was knocked out. I found her lying in an alley unconscious," Ian said. "She isn't injured badly though. I can bring her back to her house right now."

"Fine," Was all Frank had to say. He didn't trust whoever this guy was and it seemed pretty odd how he knew Nancy's home phone number; but all Frank cared about at the moment was making sure that Nancy was safe and alive for that matter.

"So you said she was knocked out?" George clarified skeptically after Frank had brought Nancy up to her bedroom.

Ian sighed. "Yeah or at least I _think _she was,"

"By what? Or _who_ for that matter?" George pressed on.

"Look, I'm really sorry this happened. I really am and if I knew exactly what happened to Nancy, I swear I would tell you. But I just don't, okay?" Ian explained softly but sternly. George pursed her lips in reluctance as she held back any further protests knowing it more than likely wouldn't do any good to continue interrogating him.

Frank walked down the stairs and gave Ian a slight glare. "I think we deserve an explanation or more from you,"

"Is Nancy okay?" Vivia questioned.

"She'll be fine. She's gonna wake up soon," George soothed the teenage brunette.

"For the record, I wasn't the one who hurt Nancy," Ian retorted calmly.

"Then explain to us what happened and maybe we'll believe you on that," Bess snapped folding her arms across her chest.

"I was driving and I found Nancy lying on the ground unconscious. But I have no idea what happened to her or how it happened for that matter," Ian said holding his hands up in defense. Cassandra suddenly walked into the room and she looked at Ian with a look of relief on her face. "Cassandra?" The young blonde nodded as she jotted something down, and then handed it to Frank.

After reading it, Frank looked at Ian, then at Cassandra in bewilderment, shock and confusion. "You know him?"

Cassandra nodded vigorously as she snatched the notebook from him and wrote something else. _"Yes. He works for the man who has been after my dad for some time now but he's been trying to help me because he knows my dad very well. You can trust him,"_

"What's your name?" Joe questioned.

"My name is Ian Jones. I _used _work as a part-time investigator like Nancy but someone messed it up for me," Ian said.

George spoke up again, knowing that Ian might be there only hope for some actual answers. "What can you tell us?"

"Well I can tell you all I know about Greg Samuels,"

"Who's he?" Vivia questioned.

"The guy I work for or...used to,"

"Okay. Tell us all you know," Frank said.

* * *

"That son of a BITCH!" Greg roared in anger. "He turned on us! He fucking turned on us!"

"We don't know that for sure, Greg," Mike said skeptically.

Greg snorted. "Ian has turned on us and he was the only other person that we had linked to that little bitch along with her daddy!"

Mike sighed. "You know….I don't see where going after Marcus's daughter is gonna do us any good. She's not relevant to any of this at all. Why do we need her?"

"It's because she has valuable information!" Greg snapped, looking at Marcus like he was the biggest idiot on the face of the Earth. "Also we can use her against him."

"We can't just go after her assuming she has the information we're looking for," Mike retorted sternly.

"Well we can't just stay here assuming she _doesn't_ either, Mike," Greg barked. "I don't care if you and Ian don't like it, I'm in charge and what I say goes. I will do whatever I need to in order to get what is rightfully mine and NOBODY is gonna stand in my way."

Mike shook his head in disbelief. "Ian was right,"

"Shut up," Greg snarled in a low, hostile tone as he narrowed his eyes.

"You're insane. You really are a _sick_ fucking asshole," Mike said in disgust. "I'll tell you one thing, Greg Samuels; I'm not gonna risk my ass for you. You want help…..you can find someone else."

"Get out!" Greg shouted.

"You bet I'm going," He stormed over to the door. "Have fun in prison." He looked back at Greg one last time with a glare, shook his head and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"If we let you help us, then you'd better not try any shit," Joe warned Ian.

"I swear to you guys; all I want is to help Cassandra and her dad," Ian said.

Vivia made a puzzled expression. "Then why were you working for the guy who kidnapped him?"

"I know where your dad is," Ian said in a serious tone.

Cassandra wrote something else down on paper and held it up in front of herself. _"Where is he?"_

Ian sighed. "Well I don't know _exactly _where Greg has him but I know he's alive and he's worried about you,"

"How do we get to wherever her dad is?" Nancy questioned.

"He's being held at some warehouse out east of here. I don't know how to get there but it's worth the try," Ian explained. Just then, his cell phone began to ring. "Hello?"

"Ian, it's Mike,"

Ian became incredibly confused hearing Mike on the phone. "Mike? I thought you were with Greg. What happened?"

"Ian, you were right. Greg is insane and we need to stop him before he hurts anyone else," Mike said.

"I'm well aware of that," Ian told him. "But why are you calling me?"

"I need you to help me,"

**I realize this chapter was short but since the next chapter will be the last I decided to make this one shorter and make the last one longer. I'll try to be quicker with posting it. Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10-Found

Screams from the shadows

Chpt 10

Found

**A/N: Here it is...the final chapter and I'm sorry it took so long but I can tell you it was worth the wait. Enjoy!**

"Mike, if this is a trick-"Ian started to say later on that day when he met up with Mike at his hotel room.

"I'm not messing around. I really need your help and I think I can help you too," Mike explained.

Ian paused before questioning him. "How?"

"You know where Cassandra's dad is?" Mike questioned.

"Yeah I know where he is. Why?" Ian said.

Mike spoke once more. "I think that if we can distract Greg well enough, we have a chance of getting Marcus,"

"But Greg will be in the room with him the whole time,"

"Not if we can trick him,"

Ian hesitated for a minute. "I'll help you on one condition,"

"Anything," Mike sounded almost desperate which was unusual considering how tough he normally was.

"Cassandra and her dad need to remain unharmed," Ian said solemnly.

Mike heaved a very deep sigh as he shut his eyes and after a long moment of silence, he nodded slowly. "Okay. You have my word. Just help me, Ian. Please I am desperate here and I have no one else who can help me,"

"Where do we start?" Ian asked.

* * *

Greg was infuriated beyond comprehension; he'd now lost _both _guys who were supposed to be working for him and he had no one else to help him out. He ran a hand over his face as he thought of alternatives that could work. Then after a minute or so of thinking, Greg flipped out his phone and dialed a number; there was repetitive muffled ringing on the other end before somebody finally picked up.

"Greg Samuels, how may I help you my friend?" The voice belonged to none other than Randy Terrance; he was a guy from down South and he had more than enough experience with ugly situations from kidnapping to murders which was why Greg normally used him as a way to get any jobs done that for any other might be downright impossible.

"Randy, I have a favor to ask of you," Greg stated solemnly. "How far are you from River Heights?"

Randy shrugged his shoulders. "Only about an hour or so. Why?"

Greg pursed his lips tightly. "I need you to help me with something,"

* * *

"Are you sure?" Frank asked skeptically.

"Almost positive," Ian nodded.

Joe sighed, not completely keen on what information Ian was feeding them. "But how do you know Mike isn't in on something with this Greg guy?"

"Because if he _was_, he wouldn't have asked me for my help," Ian responded defiantly.

"And you think he can help us get back Cassandra's dad?" Bess clarified.

"If he can't, I don't know who else can. Mike has more than enough experience in these types of situations," Ian paused as he looked at Frank, Joe and Nancy. "Probably just as much as you guys have even as detectives."

"We've dealt with people like him more than we can count on our fingers," Joe retorted wisely.

"I don't see how Greg could be any different," Nancy shrugged.

"Understand this, Miss Drew; Greg Samuels is a very determined and cunning man who can not only outsmart and hurt us if we want but he can do whatever he wants as long as he has us. There's no guarantee that what we plan on doing will go exactly as it's supposed to but once we get past him, we should be in the clear," Ian explained.

"Okay then. What's the first thing we need to do?" Frank questioned as he rose from his seat on the couch.

"We're gonna meet up with Mike; he's gonna bring us to wherever it is Greg might be keeping Cassandra's dad and it won't be easy but we'll need to take our chances for her sake," Ian said gesturing his head towards Cassandra who remained silent throughout the entire conversation.

Vivia looked at the young blonde who sat beside her; even though _her _life wasn't a piece of cake either, she felt a great amount of not only pity but empathy for Cassandra. It was hard enough for her being deaf and now people coming after her and her dad probably didn't make things any better to say the least. "You okay?" She whispered with a small smile. Cassandra looked at her with a blank expression looking like she wasn't sure how to react in response but she gave a firm nod and then looked away from Vivia.

"Wait a minute, if we're gonna go, I suggest not all of us come along. The less people, the less danger we are to encounter," Frank suggested.

* * *

"You wanna _what_?" Randy questioned in disbelief and confusion as he drove in his car down the highway.

"I want you to get rid of both Ian and Mike. If I keep them around, then I risk everything getting fucked up," Greg told him. There was silence on the other end of the line and Greg groaned impatiently. "Randy! Are you gonna help me or not?"

Randy looked up at the ceiling of his car before replying. "Okay alright. I'll do it,"

"_Thank _you," Greg responded in a sarcastic tone of voice.

* * *

"Bess, Joe. I need you two to stay here with Vivia and Cassandra while we're gone," Nancy said after talking things over with the others.

Bess looked at Joe, then at Nancy. "W-wait a second. Shouldn't Joe and I be going with you? Nanc, you're gonna need all the help you can get with this guy,"

Nancy sighed, knowing her friend was right. "I know that, Bess. But I can't risk putting you guys in more danger than you already are. The less people coming along the safer and besides, Vivia and Cassandra need to stay here. So I need to you to keep both of them safe until we get back,"

"I'm sixteen. I don't _need _anyone to look after me," Vivia spat firmly as she placed her hands on her hips.

"That's not the point. You might not need anyone looking after you but Cassandra does and like I said, you're already in enough danger," Nancy retorted putting a hand on her sister's shoulder and sat her down onto the couch.

"But we just wanna help," Vivia said softly, raising her eyebrows. Joe and Bess nodded their heads as they looked at Nancy.

"You already are and you'll get to help more I promise but for _now _what I need from you guys is to keep each other safe. Okay?" Nancy explained.

"Alright, Nancy. If that's what you want, then we won't argue with it," Joe said reluctantly.

Nancy stood up from her seat and looked at Joe and Bess. "I don't know how long we'll be gone but if anything happens, we'll call you,"

"Okay," Bess nodded in understanding.

"If someone knocks at the door, whatever you do, just don't answer it," Frank told them sternly yet calmly. Again, they only nodded. "We'll be back."

Vivia stood up and walked over to her sister who stood beside Frank; not knowing what to say, she simply hugged her right before looking into her eyes to gently say, "Be careful, okay?"

"Of course," Nancy replied giving her a warm smile as she tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.

"You too," Vivia added, putting her gaze towards Frank. With that, Frank and Nancy headed out the door; George and Ian followed behind them as they merely waved goodbye to the others.

Once the door closed, there was silence and Vivia looked to Cassandra who appeared quite frightened and overwhelmed by everything that was going on. She had her arms folded over her chest as she sat on the couch with her knees hugged to herself as a worried expression showed in her eyes. "It's gonna be okay, Cassandra," Vivia reassured her, forcing a smile.

"Yeah no one is gonna hurt you. Everything will be fine," Bess told her. Even though she knew it was true, the blonde herself had a bit of a hard time buying her own words despite knowing Frank and Nancy were extremely skilled when it came to things like this. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy but she had no idea why.

* * *

"Ian, where do you think he could've put Cassandra's dad?" Nancy questioned as Frank drove the van down the road.

"It's an old abandoned building of some sort," Ian said as he pondered a little bit trying to recall where it was. "A warehouse I think. It's out in the back of the woods and nobody ever goes there anymore which is probably why Greg put Marcus there,"

"Marcus?" George sounded slightly confused as she looked at Ian.

Ian nodded. "Her dad's name is Marcus,"

"How do we get there?" Frank asked.

"Turn on the next exit coming up and take a left," Ian told him.

Nancy leaned her back up against the leather seat as she narrowed her blue eyes. "I wonder what this guy wanted with Cassandra's dad exactly,"

"He has something Greg wants. What that is, I have no idea but once he has his hands on it, he plans to take off and use it for his own ways. Mike and I were only working for him because he said we'd get something out of it but when _I_ realized it was a bunch of bullshit, I left. We were being forced to hurt innocent people which I wasn't okay with," Ian explained.

George seemed almost sympathetic towards Ian as he was telling them this. "So…..he _made _you kill those people?"

Ian sighed as he admitted it being true. "Pretty much,"

Frank shook his head in confusion. "But where does Cassandra fit into all of this?"

"Greg thinks Cassandra knows something and has important information about what her father supposedly has which is why we were going after her in the first place," Ian said.

The van began driving on a dirt road and trees were lined up on each side while you could swear someone was hiding in them watching you; it looked like something you saw in a slasher film. As they drove further through, they saw an old building that appeared to be made out of grey cement like bricks. Frank cleared his throat and looked over his chair at Ian. "Is this it?"

"Yeah. If Cassandra's dad isn't here, I don't know where he is," Ian said as the van came to a stop. As they got out of the car, he added, "We need to be careful because we don't know if Greg is here or not and if he is…." His voice took on a more fearful tone as he looked at the others.

Nancy peered around when she spotted what looked like a door that led inside the warehouse. "I think maybe we can get in through there,"

"Let's hope so," Frank mumbled as they walked over. The door was red but incredibly rusty and there were even some parts of the paint that had come off; there were two steel handles that looked even rustier. Frank jerked it a bit but it was like it was sealed tight with glue because it wouldn't move an inch. "This door won't open for us. It looks like it's locked."

"Figures Greg would lock the doors," Ian shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair.

Nancy stepped in front of him as she held something small in her hand and stuck it in the door. "Let's see if this works," After a minute or so, the door opened with a slight creak as they made their way inside the building.

As they walked through, a voice asked, "W-who's there?" Once they located where the voice was coming from, they saw it was a man in his late forties with dark blondish brown hair and a matching beard which were both matted with sweat along with his face; his clothes were incredibly dirty. He appeared to be tied up and was sitting on a dusty, blue blanket.

"Marcus?" Ian whispered in complete shock, his eyes wider than saucers.

"Ian, you found me," Marcus said hoarsely but clearly relieved. He looked at the others and got a puzzled expression. "Who are they?"

Nancy approached him carefully and squatted in front of him while Frank joined her. She spoke softly. "Mr. Warren, my name is Nancy Drew and this is my friend, Frank Hardy. We're both detectives,"

"We've been taking care of your daughter, Cassandra," Frank added.

Marcus almost jumped at the mention of his daughter. "Cassandra. Where is she? I want to see her,"

"You aren't going _anywhere_, Mr. Warren," A grim but solemn voice retorted. The others turned around to see Greg Samuels and another man beside him. Greg pulled out a gun as he aimed it at them getting ready to shoot. "I am going to give you all the count of five to step away from Mr. Warren before I fire this gun,"

"We're not going anywhere without him," Frank snapped as he stood near Nancy and the others defensively.

"Then I guess I have no other choice than to put you out of your misery," Greg sighed. But as soon as he tried to pull the trigger, he was knocked down to the floor.

"Mike?!" Ian shouted incredulously.

Mike looked up as held down a struggling Greg and held the gun in his hand. "You take them and run! I'll take care of him!"

Frank started to protest. "But-"

"Just go!" Mike told them. The others exchanged looks before charging off with Marcus.

Greg tackled Mike to the ground and punched him smack in the jaw. "You're going to hell!"

* * *

"What do you mean they're at the hospital?! Is Nancy okay?! What the hell happened?!" Bess cried frantically. Joe had gotten a phone call from Frank saying they were at the hospital but when he told the girls that, he barely got a word in because Bess started having a panic attack.

Joe sighed as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Bess, just calm down," Bess sniffled a bit as he continued. "They're at the hospital but they're all fine and we're gonna go there to meet them."

"What's going on?" Vivia asked curiously as she and Cassandra came down the stairs.

"Cassandra, we found your dad," Joe responded as he watched the young blonde's face light up. "He's in the hospital right now recovering from some minor injuries. Do you want to go see him?"

Cassandra looked like she was ready to cry tears of joy and hugged Joe tightly. "Let's go," Bess said.

Frank and Nancy stood in the hallway outside Marcus's room when they saw Joe, Bess, Vivia and Cassandra coming their way. "Hey,"

"Is he okay?" Bess spoke up. Frank and Nancy nodded as they led them into the room.

After explaining everything to Cassandra's dad, he seemed very impressed and obviously happy to have his daughter back by his side. "Thanks to all of you, Greg Samuels is behind bars and my daughter is safe. I'm sorry to have caused you any trouble,"

"Don't mention it," Nancy smirked.

Joe sighed dramatically. "It's kind of a daily thing," Bess giggled while the others rolled their eyes.

"Well, once I've fully recovered, Cassandra and I will be heading back home," Mr. Warren said.

"Glad to hear it," Frank nodded. "We should get going too."

"Bye, Cassandra," Vivia said as she gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you again soon, okay?"

"So who wants to get nearly killed again?" Joe asked humorously.

**Phew! This chapter was hard to write but fun and I hope you found the story to your liking. I'll be writing more for the Hardy boys/Nancy Drew series shortly but for now...later!=D**


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